The following is a big, vague comment. But I think it's relevant.
Combining the insights of psychology and evolutionary anthropology, it is clear that human beings have a deep prejudice for noticing what is going wrong over what is going right. The fact that everything is okay is not in a threat to your existence. But failing to notice an…
The following is a big, vague comment. But I think it's relevant.
Combining the insights of psychology and evolutionary anthropology, it is clear that human beings have a deep prejudice for noticing what is going wrong over what is going right. The fact that everything is okay is not in a threat to your existence. But failing to notice any negative, such as tiger or a snake or even overly spoiled food, could quickly lead to your demise. Thus, we are exquisitely attuned to what is going wrong.
Even though there are so many fewer immediate threats, we still remain attuned to the negative. That is why anxiety and depression are the most common mental illnesses. One of the most effective treatments for both is cognitive therapy which helps people decrease their focus on the negative and increase their focus on the positive therefore achieving a more realistic outlook.
Indeed, trying to figure out whether the trivial things of modern life are getting better or worse is probably an echo of the need of our ancestors to figure out whether tigers and snakes were becoming more common or not. Back then it mattered, now it's trivial.
The following is a big, vague comment. But I think it's relevant.
Combining the insights of psychology and evolutionary anthropology, it is clear that human beings have a deep prejudice for noticing what is going wrong over what is going right. The fact that everything is okay is not in a threat to your existence. But failing to notice any negative, such as tiger or a snake or even overly spoiled food, could quickly lead to your demise. Thus, we are exquisitely attuned to what is going wrong.
Even though there are so many fewer immediate threats, we still remain attuned to the negative. That is why anxiety and depression are the most common mental illnesses. One of the most effective treatments for both is cognitive therapy which helps people decrease their focus on the negative and increase their focus on the positive therefore achieving a more realistic outlook.
Indeed, trying to figure out whether the trivial things of modern life are getting better or worse is probably an echo of the need of our ancestors to figure out whether tigers and snakes were becoming more common or not. Back then it mattered, now it's trivial.